Adjustable tongue.



W. A. WATTS.

ADJUSTABLE TONGUE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-28, 191s.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

WITNESSES: Ki 7 5? y M.

' COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH 0.,WA5HINGTON. u. c.

" i OFFQE.

WALTER ALBERT WATTS, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO MASSEY-HARRIS COMPANY, LIMITED, OF TORONTO, CANADA.

ADJUSTABLE TONGUE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 31, 19.14.

Application filed February 28, 1913. Serial No. 751,324.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IVALTER ALBERT WATTS, ofthe city of Toronto, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Tongues, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to tongues which are adapted to be adjusted toany desired angle and which are therefore particularly adapted for usewith agricultural implements which are to be connected in gangs to bedrawn by a traction engine, and my object is to devise a simple andstrong construction of the supporting base on which the tongue ispivoted and with whlch the adjusting mechanism is connected. I attainthis object my means of the constructions hereinafter described andillustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the adjustable tongue connected with theframe of a harvester binder. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same. Fig. 3is a front elevation of the same with part of the tongue in section.Fig. 4 is a plan view of the suupporting base alone detached from thebase of the binder. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the connection betweenthe supporting base and the binder frame. Fig. 6 is a plan View of thesame.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding partsin the different figures.

In this invention three main parts are concerned: a supporting baseadapted to be secured to a binder frame, a tongue pivo-tally supportedthereon and adjusting means between the tongue and the supporting base.The supporting base itself is best seen in Fig. 4. It comprises thebraces 1 and 2, connected together at their forward ends to form atriangle. The rearward ends of these members are adapted for connectionwith a binder frame, the former in a manner to be hereinafter describedand the latter by being provided with a hook 3 adapted to engage in theeye 4 suitably formed on or connected with the binder frame. Thisspecific arrangement whereby the member 2 may rock in a vertical planmay, however, be constructionally departed from without departing fromthe spirit of my invention.

A member 5 forming a transverse tongue support is secured at one end tothe member 1 at the apex of the triangle formed by the members 1 and 2.The other end of the member 5 forming the tongue support has arearwardly extending brace member 6 secured thereto, the rear end ofthis brace member 6 extending rearwardly to a point adjacent the rearend of the member 1.

Between the rear ends of the braces 1 and 6 is secured a block 7 whichserves as a pivot for the tongue 8. Itearwardly of the block 7 the endsof the braces 1 and 6 are brought close together to embrace the bracket9 formed on or secured to the frame of the binder and the bolt extendingthrough the ends of the members 1 and 6 and the bracket 9 forms ahorizontal pivot on which the members 1 and 6 may rock in a verticaldirection.

The forward part of the tongue 8 is preferably formed of wood while therearward end is formed of two metal straps 11 which embrace the tonguesupport 5 and the block 7 The latter is provided with the trunnions 12on which the straps 11 are pivoted, as shown particularly in Fig. 5.Suitable cotter pins 13 are passed through the trunnions to retain thestraps 11 in position thereon. The tongue may thus swing freely fromside to side being supported by the member 5.

At the apex of the triangle formed by the members 1 and 2 I form aconnection for the adjusting mechanism for swinging the tongue 8 on itspivot. This comprises two brackets 14 one bolted to the member 5 and theother preferably formed as a forward extension of the member 1. In thesebrackets I journal the spindle 15 carrying the bevel gear 16. The outerends of the brackets are preferably connected by a suitable stay bolt 17The spindle 15 is connected by means of a suitable universal joint 18with the screw 19. This screw 19 is threaded through the nut 20 which isprovided with the vertical trunnions 21 by means of which it ispivotally connected with the straps 11 of the tongue. It is evident thatby rotating the spindle 15 that the angle of the tongue may be varied atwill, the universal joint- 18 and the pivoted nut 20 allowing the partsto accommodate themselves to the changing angle of the tongue relativeto the spindle 15.

For the purpose of actuating the adjusting mechanism I provide theinclined spindle 22 having secured thereto the bevel pinion 28 meshingwith the bevel gear 16. This spindle has one bearing formed in the standard 2% secured at its lower end to the member 1 and braced by means ofthe diagonal brace secured thereto at one end and at the other endpreferably fitted over the upper trunnion 12 of the block 7' below thecotter pin 13. The lower end of the spindle 22 is journaled in thebracket 25 which embraces the spindle 15 between the brackets 14. Thespindle 22 is connected with the spindle 26 by means of the universaljoint 27. This spindle 26 has a bearing in the bracket 28.

secured in the frame of the binder, through which bracket it may freelyslide when the supporting base for the tongue is vertically swung, ashereinafter described. The end of the spindle 28 is provided with thecrank handle 29 by means of which it may be operated.

The parts just described form a ready means for operating the adjustingscrew 19 from the binder, no matter at what angle in a vertical planethe supporting base of the tongue may lie.

For the purpose of vertically adjusting the supporting base I providethe following mechanism: A pair of links 30 are pivotally connected attheir lower ends with the members 1 and 6 of the supporting base at thepoints 31. Where the links are connected the members 1 and 6 arepreferably bent to bring these parts into substantial parallelism, asshown particularly in Figs. 2 and 41. The upper ends of these links 30are brought closely together and pivotally connected with the crank arm32 of the crank shaft 33 journaled on the frame of the binder. Thiscrank shaft is provided with the usual adjusting lever notched quadrant34. It is evident that by adjusting the lever 34; that the supportingpiece of the adjustable tongue may be vertically swung as desired.

From the description of the supporting base taken in connection with thedrawings it will be seen that the supporting base is substantially inthe form of a rhomboid, the member 1 connecting the obtuse angles of therhomboid. The rearward side of the rhomboid is missing, being notnecessary for the purpose of this invention, though it will readily beseen that if desired the rearward ends of the members 1 and 2 might beconnected without altering the mode of operation of the structure. Thisrhomboid sup-- porting base it will be seen is adapted at its rear sideto be connected with the frame of the binder so as to swing verticallywhile it carries at its rear side a pivot for the horizontally movabletongue and at its forward obtuse angle a means of connection for theadjusting mechanism by which the tongue is horizontally swung.

The construction described is very simple and is of the form bestadapted for strength. By adopting this form I am also able to dis pensewith the use of the wood in the supporting base, the only wood employedbeing in the pole of the tongue itself.

"What I claim as my invention is 1. In mechanism of the class describedthe combination with a supporting base comprising two members, eachadapted at its rear end for connection with the apparatus to be drawnand secured together at their forward ends to form a triangle, and atransverse member forming a tongue support connected at one end with thetwo former members at the apex of the triangle, of a tongue pivoted onone of said first-mentioned members adjacent to its rear end; andadjusting mechanism connected with the said tongue and with the saidbase adjacent the apex of the triangle.

2. In mechanism of the class described the combination with a supportingbase comprising two members, each adapted at its rear end for connectionwith the apparatus to be drawn and secured together at their forwardends to form a triangle, and a transverse member forming a tonguesupport connected at one end with the two former members at the apex ofthe triangle, and a rearwardly extending brace member connecting theother end of the tongue sup port with the member on which the tongue ispivoted adjacent said pivot, of a tongue pivoted on one of said firstmentioned members adjacent to its rear end, and adjusting mechanismconnected with the said tongue and with the said base adjacent the apexof the triangle.

3. In mechanism of the class described a supporting base formed of threeexternal members arranged in rhomboidal form in plan and a diagonalmember connecting opposite angles of the rhomboid, a pivotal connectionfor a tongue being formed adjacent one obtuse angle, and a connectionfor tongue-adjusting mechanism adjacent the other obtuse angle.

4. In mechanism of the class described a supporting base formed of threeexternal members arranged in rhomboidal form in plan and a diagonalmember connecting opposite angles of the rhomboid, a vertical pivotalconnection for a tongue being formed near the rear of the base and alsotwo hori drawn, in combination with links pivotally connected with anexternal member and the diagonal member in front of and at 15 oppositesides of the vertical pivotal connection; and suitably supported liftingmeans connected with the upper ends of the links.

Toronto, this 11 day of Jan, 1913.

WALTER ALBERT WATTS.

Signed in the presence of LOUIS ANDREW MOTAGGART, LELAND PHELPSMCOLELLAND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

